Sinanbartolome sword from Tayabas, Quezon

[xasterix]

Hello, sharing this Tagalog piece. The engravings on either side of the blade (not the spine) are specific to Quezon Province (the engravings are still being used for modern swords from that area), and can also be found in nobility blades provenanced as being made from Tayabas, Quezon.

Since this is pre-1900 (I posit this due to the laminated blade construction and other dress features), it was likely made in Tayabas, Quezon, which was historically documented to have premium bolo factories. The sword measures 20.5in blade, 25.5in overall. It's dressed up in an albino carabao horn hilt with iron ferrule and handguard. Such swords were used by cuadrilleros and other Spanish-aligned native military units.

The "sinanbartolome" blade profile varies across Tagalog towns (Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, Quezon Province, Laguna, Rizal, etc); generally they're the blade profiles of popular bolos that are presented every Feast Day of Saint Bartholomew. The bolos are blessed in the Saint's name for prosperity especially in harvest; the Feast is usually attended by both common folk and nobility. In modern time, the Feast Day isn't as widely celebrated anymore.

Here's how the restored blade cuts: https://youtube.com/shorts/T5_tP-esj1M

[Sajen]

Very nice sword Raymundo! Are you going to restore the wire binding at the handle?

Regards,
Detlef

[xasterix]

Very nice sword Raymundo! Are you going to restore the wire binding at the handle?

Regards,
Detlef

Thanks Detlef :D I'm keeping it as-is, I'm not a fan of wire-grip, especially as it can cause scratches on the hand :D

[chmorshuutz]

Isn't this sinungot ulang. What makes it sinanbartolome?

[xasterix]

Isn't this sinungot ulang. What makes it sinanbartolome?

The label is dependent on the origin-location. Each Tagalog town considered one (sometimes two) blade profile as an offering to San Bartolome.

If the origin-location of my blade was Rizal area, it would be called Sinungot Ulang; however if it was made in Batangas, Cavite, or Quezon Province, it would be Sinanbartolome.

Rizal's own Sinanbartolome would be the "Binacuco" blade profile series :)

[Interested Party]

The label is dependent on the origin-location. Each Tagalog town considered one (sometimes two) blade profile as an offering to San Bartolome.


Interesting. This is considered a skinning or butchering pattern?

[Ian]

Thanks Xas. Very informative blade and it appears to cut well. The hilt shows Spanish colonial features that would support your age estimate.

[xasterix]

Interesting. This is considered a skinning or butchering pattern?

I believe that Filipinos copied the (varied) blade profiles of the skinning knife used in depictions of St. Bartholomew's martyrdom in 1700s artworks, and translated these into bolo-size form.

[xasterix]

Thanks Xas. Very informative blade and it appears to cut well. The hilt shows Spanish colonial features that would support your age estimate.

:D

[Ian]

Thanks Detlef :D I'm keeping it as-is, I'm not a fan of wire-grip, especially as it can cause scratches on the hand :DXas, one way to overcome the "bite" of a wire-wrapped grip is to use a glove on the sword hand. Do you know whether such gloves were used during Spanish Colonial times. It seems to have been mainly a European custom, but we recently had a thread about a female Chinese pirate who was depicted wearing a glove on her sword hand.